The Parasite
by Deanna Kranz
Summary: Set after "The Host," Beverly is infected with a "parasite" of sorts that will forever change a friendship. UPDATED! I changed it a little so that it doesn't feel so rushed. Please let me know what you think.


I decided to add a scene and adjust some of the ending. I took all the coments I got into consideration and this is what I felt would be best.

As always, the characters, ships, and jargon belong to Paramount. "Beautiful" belongs to Jack Kugell and Disney. Only the story line belongs to me.

* * *

Dr. Crusher sat in her office writing a report. She was in deep concentration when she felt her stomach rumble and suddenly realized she was starving. _Did I miss lunch again? _She thought as she glanced at the chronometer on the upper right side of her computer screen. No, it was 1023 hours and it had only been 3.5 hours since she had breakfast. She had woken up hungry for some strange reason and had eaten a vegetable and cheese omelette, toast, and coffee before even getting in the shower. Then, on her way out of her quarters, she grabbed an apple and ate it on her way to sickbay.

"Doctor?" came a voice and she looked up to find Nurse Ogawa standing at the doorway. "Phase two of the experiment is complete. Would you like me to start logging the data?"

"Thanks. We'll do it together so that we can begin stage three by the end of the day," replied the doctor and stood up. Suddenly she felt the room spin and she held on to the desk to keep from falling.

"Doctor, are you ok?"

"Yes, I just got up too quickly."

She shook it off and headed to the lab with Alyssa. The rest of her day was just like any other, full of minor injuries and maladies from various crew members between general sickbay duties and reports and somewhere in there she managed to have lunch with Deanna. That night she was exhausted and decided to go to bed early.

* * * * * * * * * *

Dr. Crusher and Counselor Troi sat in Ten Forward talking and having lunch.

"Have you heard from Wesley?" asked Troi.

"I actually just got another letter from him this week. He is doing well so far, still adjusting to life at the Academy." Beverly looked at her now empty plate. "Would you like dessert, I'm craving strawberry ice cream."

"No, thank you. I'm stuffed."

Beverly got up to go to the replicator and returned with a bowl of ice cream.

"Beverly, are you ok?"

"Yes, I feel fine. Why?"

"We've had lunch together every day for over a month and lately you've been eating more than usual."

"I know, I've noticed too. Actually, this morning I felt my uniform fit more snug than usual. I think I need to go on a diet and exercise regiment before my pants don't fit anymore."

"Your waist isn't the only part that has gotten bigger. How do you loose centimetres off your bust?"

"What?" she said, looking down at her breasts.

"It's not really noticeable but seeing you right in front of me for almost an hour every day, makes me notice. I'm sure that to everyone else they are no different than usual, especially since you wear your lab coat."

Beverly looked at her bowl of ice cream and sadly pushed it away.

"Why are you eating more? Are you still sad over Odan? I know it's been only 6 weeks but you seemed to be dealing well with it so I hadn't pushed it."

"What do you mean?"

"Some people over eat to cope with sadness or depression."

"I'm not depressed. I'm just hungry."

"Could there be something medically wrong with you?"

"I haven't really thought about it."

"Anything else out of the ordinary?"

She thought for a moment. "Actually, I've been more tired than usual. Some mornings I just can't get out of bed and it takes everything I have to get me going even though I've been going to bed earlier than usual."

"Feeling tired and excessive sleep are also symptoms of depression."

"But I don't feel depressed."

"I agree; I would be able to sense if you were depressed. You should check yourself out in sickbay."

"These symptoms are also associated with stress."

"Beverly…" she said in a warning tone.

"I'm going back to sick bay after the staff briefing. I will scan myself then. I promise."

"OK. Now, we should get going. The briefing begins in 20 minutes."

"Alright," and they both stood up. However, Beverly had to lean on the table when she felt the room spin.

"Are you ok?" asked Deanna, concerned.

"Yes," she said as her eyes came into focus. "I just stood up too fast."

"Has this happened before?" asked Deanna as they walked out of Ten Forward. Beverly thought about the first time it happened recently. She was in her quarters, sitting on the floor. She had been studying several PADDs and her desk simply wasn't big enough so she had moved to the floor. She was getting up when she ended up back on the floor and feeling dizzy. Then there was the time it happened in her office…

"How many times has it happened this week?"

The door to the turbolift opened and they both stepped in. "Bridge," said Beverly. "This makes it the fourth time this week."

"Beverly!" Deanna said with shock and concern.

"I just hadn't thought about it."

"You'd think that being a doctor you'd scan yourself once in a while."

"I don't like scanning myself in sickbay and by the time I get to my quarters I'm too tired to remember."

"Why don't you like scanning yourself in sickbay?"

The turbolift stopped and the doors opened onto the bridge. Data was on the captain's chair and he stood up when he saw the women.

"Counselor, Doctor, you are early for the briefing."

"Yes," answered Troi, "we will wait in the observation lounge." And they walked over to the observation lounge and went inside. They sat on opposite sides of the table so that they could continue talking.

"Starfleet Medical prohibits doctors from being their own physicians. So I got Dr. Hall."

"Gerald is nice. What's wrong with him as your doctor?"

"He is a great physician and I love having him as part of my staff. But he worries too much about me. I think that if it were up to him instead of a yearly physical he'd give me a monthly physical. If he saw me scanning myself he'd want to do a full physical. If that showed that there is nothing wrong with me or showed it was something like stress, he'd order a full lab workup just in case."

"And…?" asked Deanna, sensing there was more to it. Beverly sighed and continued.

"He treats me like… Well, lets just say most of my staff calls me his little princess."

"What do you mean?"

"At first I thought he had a crush on me or something like that, always hugging me and touching me. He always holds my hands or rubs my back while we are talking. Then he started calling me Bev, sweetie, darling, honey. One day I accidentally hit my head against the door frame in my office. I just wasn't looking at where I was going. I sat on a biobed so that Alyssa could have a quick look at the growing bump on my head. She was about to give me an anti-inflammatory when Gerald came into sickbay. He practically ran to me and when he saw the bump on my forehead he said, 'What happened to my little girl's head?' " She started laughing, which confused Deanna.

"I'm guessing it didn't bother you."

"Oh, it did! That day I spoke to both Dr. Selar and Dr. Cox about it. Selar said that even though it was unprofessional it didn't hinder productivity and suggested I tell him to stop it if it bothered me. When I spoke with Richard he said it was cute. He had actually asked a couple of the nurses if it bothered them and they said it was no problem. He said letting Gerald not just simply care for me but letting him take care _of _me showed the whole staff I was just as fragile as everyone else. Anyway, it doesn't bother me anymore and we're good friends both in and out of sickbay. I've asked him about it but he won't tell me why he does it. Since no one minds and it hasn't caused a problem I just let it be. But if there is something wrong with me he practically becomes my new roommate. He seems to enjoy ordering me to bed and no one can save me from it."

"And you hate having to take time off," she said just as the captain and the rest of the senior staff came in.

"Right."

Captain Picard took the seat at the head of the table and began.

"I must apologize for having to reschedule this morning's briefing for the afternoon. I had a subspace meeting with some admirals. Let's begin."

The briefing was short with nothing much to report. Everything was running smoothly and efficiently.

"If there is nothing further, dismissed." With that the briefing was over. Everyone stood up to leave, but when Beverly stood she felt the room start spinning again and she braced herself on the table.

"Are you ok, Doc?" asked Geordi, who had been sitting to her left. Everyone stopped and looked at her and Riker, who had been sitting to her right, went to her. Still bracing herself on the table and her eyes still closed she said, "I'm fine." And as she tried to straighten herself up she began, "Just got up too fast." She opened her eyes as she took a step away from the table but the room was still spinning and she saw the room darken. "Oh, no." she whispered and collapsed. Riker was close enough to catch her and he held her limp body.

"Picard to sickbay," he said tapping his communicator.

"No!" she said, still limp. Realizing she was conscious, Will helped her to her chair. "Just give me a minute."

"Cancel that," he said. "What's wrong?"

"I'm not sure. But I'm heading to sickbay."

"Yes," added Deanna, "We had already agreed that she was going to sickbay after the briefing."

"Please, proceed." Picard said with some urgency. Will helped the doctor up and she slowly began walking. Deanna met her at the door and they both made their way to the turbolift. "Will you make it to sickbay?" asked Picard.

"Yes. I'm feeling much better." They both entered the turbolift. "Sickbay" called Deanna. "What could be wrong with you?"

"I'm not sure. It sounds like a parasite. But I haven't been on an away mission in weeks. I don't know what else it could be."

They stepped off the turbolift and walked to sickbay. Beverly showed no signs that anything was wrong with her or that she had fainted a short while ago. They walked into a fairly empty sickbay with no patients. Dr. Hall was at the far end of sickbay talking to a nurse. The nurse walked away as Beverly and Deanna approached.

"Do you have a moment?" Beverly asked him.

"Of course, what's going on?"

"She thinks she might have a parasite."

"That's not good," he said and took her hand and led her to a biobed. Deanna almost expected him to lift her to the bed from the paternal feelings she was sensing from him. Instead he simply tapped the bed and said "up." She got on the biobed as he grabbed a tricorder. He began by scanning her head and made his way down. He scanned her a few times and went to a consol to enter some information. He came back and put his hand on Beverly's lap. "I have some good news. You don't have a parasite, well, not in the traditional sense. Your condition isn't life threatening and I expect you will make a full recovery. Tell me, what are the symptoms you've been having?"

"Dizziness, fainting, feeling tired and sleepy…"

"And eating more than usual," added Deanna.

"All these are perfectly normal symptoms and I suspect you have a few others you just haven't paid attention to."

"What's wrong with her?"

"I'll let Bev tell you. Sweetie, why don't we go talk in your office?"

Beverly slid off the biobed and told Deanna, "You don't have to wait; you know I'll tell you later."

"Ok, just because I can sense that Gerald is not worried about you. I'll be in my office."

They walked over to her office and she leaned against the desk. Gerald stood in front of her and took her hands in his.

"Bev, when was the last time you had sex?

"What!?" she asked, shocked, suddenly thinking some sort of strange venereal disease.

"Just answer the question."

"It's not like I write it in my calendar for future reference."

"I don't want an exact date and time."

She thought a moment and answered, "About 6 or 7 weeks ago."

"With Odan?"

"Yes."

"In Commander Riker's body?" Beverly blushed deeply. She was so embarrassed she had forgotten why they were having this conversation.

"Hon, you're pregnant." She felt her heart start to race. "Your parasite is a 100% human baby." She swallowed hard as she felt her heart almost escape through her mouth. "I can run a DNA analysis to confirm if he is the father."

"That won't be necessary," she said plainly.

"You're a doctor and you've been pregnant before so I won't tell you all the dos and don'ts. Do you want something for the dizziness?"

She didn't answer. She simply stared blankly at his uniform.

"Bev?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, please. It happened twice today."

He stepped out and returned with a hypospray. "We'll try this for now," he said as he pressed it to her arm. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"What's there to talk about? I'm pregnant. You know how it happened. What's left?"

"How are you going to tell him? When? The captain will need to know. So will Wes. Then there is life with a baby. You haven't done it in a while and you will face new challenges." She was silent. "I know as a man there are many things I do not understand. But Deanna might be better help than me."

"I think I need to be alone for now, thanks."

"Ok. Call me if you need anything, day or night. If you'd like the day off tomorrow I can arrange that. Even if it's just to think and sort things out."

"No, I'll be fine. Thanks."

"Alright. Let me know if you change your mind. Take the rest of the day off. It's not a suggestion; I've already relieved you of duty for the rest of the day." She simply nodded and he left her office.

She sat, thinking. How _was_ she going to tell Riker? They had become friends over the years and she didn't want to ruin that. She knew he enjoyed his life as a bachelor and didn't want to ruin that for him. She remembered meeting him on Farpoint and thinking he looked so juvenile. Over time he had changed and she had become attracted to him. She never pursued it, though. He liked being single. And she knew he had a strong bond with Deanna and they could rekindle their love at any moment. Deanna was also her best friend and she could never do anything that might ruin that friendship. But on top of everything, he had never showed any interest in her which was more than enough to keep her from even casually flirting with him.

She remembered that night. She had decided to accept Odan in Riker's body. It had been hard to resist. She felt it would be dishonest since she was attracted to that body, she had to admit, much more than the person inside it at the moment. It had been easy to convince herself that night that Riker was the one making love to her. She had not felt too guilty since she hoped to make up for it when Odan got his new host. She felt it had been Karmic justice that she could not accept Odan in a woman's body and was relieved Riker said he could not remember much. Now, he had to know. Not that she was attracted to him, but that she and Odan had used his body and that had consequences. She was full of guilt. She decided he had to be the first to know. She would give him the choice of what he wanted to do. He should not have to pay for her mistake and carelessness. True, she couldn't get pregnant from a Trill, but she had conveniently ignored the fact that she could from Riker to simply satisfy a fantasy. She got up and left her office and sickbay and headed to Riker's quarters. She had no plan; she just wanted to get it done.

Beverly stood outside the Commander's quarters, unable to make herself push the button. She was afraid. _Friendships ruined, lives ruined, all because of me_, she thought. She suddenly wanted to run and hide with someone, tell them of her situation and have them tell her everything would be alright. This was the kind of situation she would go to Deanna for. _Deanna! I already told her I would tell her what was wrong with me!_ Now she was panicking and she walked away from Riker's door and to her own quarters.

A soft blanket was her only companion on her sofa. She couldn't tell Deanna. Even though Deanna had told her that they had both agreed to move on she felt as if she had betrayed her best friend. She could lie to Will and say it was Odan she was making love to but Deanna would see right through that, would sense her dishonesty. If she still had any sort of feelings towards Will this could end their friendship.

"Why?" she asked herself out loud. "Of all the people on this ship, why did Will volunteer? Anyone else and I could not have done it."

She heard her door chime and gasped. Not only did it startle her, but she knew exactly who it was. "Oh, no, Deanna!" she said to herself. She did not want to answer it as it chimed again and just sat there, paralyzed, staring at the door. Her heart was racing again and she could feel her body temperature rise as her uniform suddenly seemed like it was too much clothing. The door suddenly swished open and Beverly gasped again, now a terrified look on her face.

"Are you alright?" asked Deanna. Beverly gave her only a weak nod. "I rang the chime and when you didn't answer I used my command override. I thought something might be wrong since I've been sensing your anxiety." Deanna sat next to Beverly, concerned for her friend. "What did Dr. Hall say?"

Tears flooded her eyes and rolled before she could do anything about it. Deanna pulled Beverly in her arms, hugging her, and now fearing the worst of news: some sort of terminal illness, forgetting for the moment Dr. Hall's reassuring words that Beverly would make a full recovery. She could sense Beverly's worry and fear and wished she was a full Betazoid so that she could know what was wrong with her friend.

"Take a deep breath," she finally told Beverly. "Whatever it is, I am here for you. We all are," she tried reassuring her. Beverly tried to take a deep breath, to calm herself, but as soon as she was taking more regular breaths she began sobbing again. "Beverly, just tell me," Deanna told her, holding her hands between them in reassurance.

Beverly shook her head; she didn't know how Deanna would react and was still afraid to face the reality of what was going on. She knew that she was acting irrationally, but she couldn't control her sobbing and fear. Whether it was due to her changing hormones or true fear, she could not tell. She wanted to tell Deanna and have her say it would be alright, but at the same time she feared anger from her best friend. For a moment she thought she should have gone to Jean-Luc. He had been there for her through the toughest times in her life, and she knew she could count on him. But as a man, would he really understand the enormity of it all? Was it really that big a deal? Suddenly she was just confused and began crying again, this time from being frustrated at her confusion.

Deanna could sense that her friend's thoughts were racing and her feelings were going from fear and uncertainty to doubt and frustration. With Beverly's hands still in her own she spoke again.

"Close your eyes and take a deep breath." Beverly did as she was told. "Good, now take another deep breath." Deanna grabbed a corner of the blanket Beverly had been holding and wiped away the tears on her face as Beverly took another breath. She took several more breaths before she stopped crying and her breathing became more normal again. "What did Dr. Hall say?"

With her eyes still closed, she dropped her head and softly said, "I'm pregnant."

A rush of relief flowed through Deanna as she reached forward and grabbed Beverly in her arms again, giving her a very tight hug. As tears began to flow down Beverly's face again, Deanna couldn't help but to laugh.

"Beverly, you had me fearing the worst of news," she said as her laughter subsided. "I was preparing myself to try to counsel someone who is facing imminent death."

Beverly continued to shed tears, though she was not sobbing as she was a few minutes before, tears simply falling from her eyes. Deanna obviously didn't guess who the father was or she would not be laughing, Beverly concluded.

Releasing her grip on Beverly, both women sat back up facing each other, tears still flowing from one and a smile on the other.

"Congratulations," she said with a smile. "Now, what part of this situation has you so upset?"

"I'm so sorry," was her simple answer, still not being able to make eye contact.

"For what?"

After a moment of silence she said, "Will."

"Will is the father?" she said, confusion obvious in her voice. Beverly nodded. As Deanna thought about how that could be possible since neither one had mentioned a relationship with the other, she suddenly remembered the very unique circumstances they had both endured not too long ago.

"Odan," she said and Beverly confirmed with another nod. "I don't understand why you are apologising to me."

Beverly looked up, finally meeting her eyes again. "I know how you and he…"

Realizing what she was trying to say Deanna interrupted, "Beverly, if you would have gone to my office and asked for my opinion then I would have given you my honest opinion as a counselor without thinking about my personal feelings. But we were not in my office, and I was talking to you as my friend, not my patient. If I had any problem with seeing you with Will I would never have suggested that you try to accept Odan in Will's body."

Beverly's tears had finally stopped flowing and she gave Deanna a confused look, not understanding what she was talking about.

"You were sitting in Ten Forward, facing the window, and I came and sat down at the table with you. You told me you did not want to accept Odan in Will's body because of all the possible implications of that. I told you that if you felt the love you had received from Odan coming from Will then you should accept that love. I am only human, well, half human, and if it would have bothered me in the least bit to see Will, even though it would have been just his body, with you then I would have just kept my big mouth shut and suggested we indulge ourselves in every variety of chocolate the replicator can replicate and talk about how much men suck."

Beverly couldn't help but laugh.

"I'm sure you two can come up with some sort of arrangement. He might be a little confused by it all but he is an understanding person."

Beverly sighed and nodded in understanding but Deanna sensed that there was more there.

"What is it?"

"What if he gets upset anyway, upset that I used his body? What if it ruins our friendship?"

"I highly doubt it will, but you need to tell him. As the biological father he has a right to know."

"I know," she whispered, suddenly feeling nervous at the thought of telling Will. There was silence between them as Beverly went through a whirlwind of emotions and Deanna sat, sensing it all. She knew there was more to it than what they had talked about but she wanted to give Beverly the chance to bring up the rest on her own. Getting a hunch as to what it could be, and growing uncomfortable in the silence, she decided to try something, to try to get a reaction. She reached over to Beverly's abdomen, and as she made contact with the uniform she said in a soft, happy voice, "You are having Will Riker's baby."

Beverly couldn't contain the small smile, which she quickly did away with, as she answered, "Yes."

Deanna caught the smile, but she didn't need it. Beverly's feelings told her everything she was missing. Removing her hand from her stomach and placing it back on her lap, she said, "It's ok. If there is something there, go for it." Beverly meet her eyes in surprise. "You should know by now that you can't keep these things from me," Deanna answered the unasked question. "That doesn't have to be dealt with right now if you don't want to. But the longer you wait to tell him about the baby the more anxiety you will have. I'm only a couple of doors down from his. I can walk you there and give you some time, maybe 20 minutes, and then come by to see how things are going. If you leave before then you can come tell me about it."

Beverly took a deep breath and drew some courage. "Ok," she finally said. They made the trip to Will's quarters and Deanna left her there after some final encouraging words. After Deanna left she stood outside his door for the second time that day, and still nervous about pressing that button. She stood for a couple of minutes, glad the deck was empty and no one wondering why she was just standing there.

Suddenly she was startled by the swishing of the doors opening. She gasped and jumped back while Riker simply looked at her and smiled.

"I wanted to go see you, make sure you were alright and I was surprised when the computer said you were right outside my door. Please, come in."

She stepped in his quarters and took a seat on the couch, feeling very nervous.

"How are you? Are you going to be ok?"

"Yes, I'm fine," she answered. "It's nothing life threatening. Do you have a moment to talk?"

"Always," he said, sitting next to her. They faced each other but she simply stared at her hands on her lap. For some reason her fingers wouldn't stop moving, pulling and tugging at each other and her sleeves.

"If you can't find the words can I start?"

She looked up at him puzzled.

"I didn't just want to check up on you right now. I also need to tell you something." He paused a moment, also looking for the right words. "Today I experienced one of the scariest moments in my life."

"What happened?" she said, sounding very concerned.

"When you fainted and I was barely able to catch you. Your body was completely limp. I've only felt dead bodies feel like that."

"I'm sorry I frightened you, Will. I was being careless and had ignored some symptoms. I should have gone to sickbay sooner."

"No," he said softly and stood up, pacing in front of her. "It scared me because I care about you. A lot. More than I care for most people. Like I care for Deanna. I was scared I might loose you."

The words made her stomach flutter. "Thanks Will," she said, feeling like a teenager talking to her long time crush.

"Deanna and I are just friends. Despite our past we are able to still care deeply about each other and still just be friends. I just want you to know."

"I know that Deanna feels the same about you."

He sat back down feeling a bit frustrated. When had the conversation changed to Deanna? "I just need to say it," he said, taking her hands in his. They made eye contact and he could see confusion and concern in her eyes. "I love you Beverly. Somehow, somewhere, some years ago I fell in love with you."

Her heart began racing. Tears swelled in her eyes as she remembered why she was there. She was about to ruin what she had wanted for so long. Despite Deanna's reassurances, she was sure he would feel like he was being trapped with a baby.

"Knowing you are a personal friend of the captain's I've tried to put my feelings aside. But the more I've gotten to know you the more I fall in love. You are smart, funny, fun to be with, intelligent, sensitive, caring…" She began crying. "I understand if you don't feel the same."

"It's not that," she said, wiping away her tears. "I'm about to ruin this perfect moment. Maybe even send you running. You see…"

"Wait," he interrupted. "_Perfect Moment_? Do you have feelings for me too?"

She nodded and began crying again. He pulled her into his arms and held her. "If you feel the same way I do, there is nothing you can say that will change that."

She collected herself in his arms and pulled away. _No more crying,_ she thought, _I've done that enough for one day_.

"You remember Odan?"

"Yes."

"We had a relationship that ended shortly before he left the Enterprise."

"Yes. I remember that."

"Do you remember what happened when he was inside you?"

"No, not really. In the beginning I'd see images triggered by scents, objects, or locations. But it faded away within a week. What happened?"

"He wanted to continue our relationship but I didn't want to risk ruining our friendship or deepening my feelings for you. But in the end my heart over came my head. I was stupid, careless. It wasn't even about Odan anymore. It was selfish and I'm so sorry about everything." She had tears in her eyes again and he wiped them away before they could fall.

"But Beverly, I don't remember any of it. It doesn't change how I feel about you. We can put that behind us, start from this moment."

She shook her head.

"See, there were consequences for allowing myself to do as Odan wanted while in your body."

There was silence. He waited for her to finish and she was afraid to continue. He took her face in his hands and looked straight into her eyes. He smiled at her reassuringly and gave her a soft kiss on her lips. She closed her eyes.

"I'm pregnant."

The words echoed in his head. He didn't let go of her face, didn't move. She opened her eyes, expecting to see his jaw on the ground. Instead, he was bright red; jaw where it belonged, staring at her.

_A baby_, he thought. _Me? _ He didn't know what to say, what to do, what to feel. He wanted to feel angry, he had always been very careful with all the women he'd ever been with as to not get them pregnant. Now he was finding out his body was used without his permission and had impregnated someone. Well, that was not what he was loaning his body out for; he was doing it for the diplomatic mission. But how could he get angry? He really did love her, and she obviously didn't mean for it to happen.

He gave her a half smile and a nervous chuckle as he stood up and began to pace the room. He thought about his experience with Barash who led him to believe he had a son. The young boy proudly trying to play his trombone. That wasn't so bad. Besides, she was already pregnant. She wasn't asking him to father her child; she was informing him that he had. And this baby wasn't coming tomorrow. There was time to get used to the idea, right? He knew that one day he wanted to get married and start a family, though he had hoped it would happen in that order. Unlike the captain, he wanted children of his own someday. He returned to the couch and sat down looking at her again. This child was coming, and it was his. There was nothing that could be done about it. Beverly had admitted that she had feelings for him; he knew that he was in love with her.

Silence.

They had been sitting in silence for several long minutes. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, opening his eyes after exhaling. Might as well give it a shot. It was what he had wanted, to have a relationship with her. He smiled at her.

"I'm not running," he said, finally breaking the silence.

"What do you want to do about it? It was my fault and you should get to decide what happens. I'm still early enough along that if you don't want me to…"

"No," he stopped her, putting his finger over her mouth. He knew what she was suggesting. "I could never ask you to do that. I know you want this baby. If you didn't you wouldn't have come, you would have just done it." He took her hands again. "We'll figure something out."

She sighed in relief. He wasn't angry and that's what she had feared.

"How long have you felt this way?" she asked softly.

"Since I met you. From the moment I saw you, from the moment I looked into your eyes, there was something about you that I was attracted to. I knew that you were a once in a life time, a treasure near impossible to find. And I know how lucky I am to have you."

Letting go of her hands, he pulled her towards him and held her. They sat in silence, in this embrace, that simply looked like a hug. But it felt like much more and neither one wanted it to ever end.

"Holding you in my arms, no one else fits so perfectly, Beverly."

"Not even Deanna?"

"No. She's much too small. You are perfect. She's shorter than you too. I could probably dance forever with you."

"Deanna isn't a big fan of dancing, but you probably say things like that to all the ladies."

He laughed, shaking his head no. Then, in a very theatrical voice, he said, "And at the stroke of midnight, please forgive me if I can't let go."

"Why won't you let go?" she asked teasingly as she sat up, facing him again.

In a very loving and sincere voice he replied, "Because I never dreamed I'd find a Cinderella of my own."

She blushed deeply, feeling her stomach flutter again.

"Now, since you got to explore a fantasy of yours without my permission," he said, leaning in very close to her, "I think it's only fair that I do the same." He kissed her, not like before, but with passion. He slid his fingers in her hair, pulling her even closer to him. To his delight she accepted his kiss, parting her lips, and pulling his face even more against hers. They were in the midst of their very passionate kiss when the doors swished open, startling them both. They turned to see Deanna standing there.

"I sensed a lot of different emotions and I wanted to make sure you were ok," she said to Will. "But I see you are very well," she added with a smile.

"We were working something out," he replied.

"Everything all better?"

"For now. Does she know?" he asked Beverly.

"Yeah. She got to me before I got to you."

"Congratulations!" exclaimed Deanna, going towards Will and giving him a hug. "Tell me what's happening," she said as she sat down on a chair.

They looked at each other and smiled. "Will can tell you and I'll chime in if there is something to add. I'm feeling very tired right now."

"Ok, we can talk some more later."

Will began by explaining how he had been attracted to her from the time they met. Beverly leaned her head on his shoulder and he took her hand in his, placing them on his lap. He told her about both of them hiding their feelings, and everything that had occurred that had led up to them revealing their feelings for each other with Deanna also sharing what had happened before Beverly went to him.

"… I'm just glad we have finally revealed our feelings to each other."

Deanna smiled and said, "She must have been exhausted."

He looked over at Beverly and saw that she had fallen asleep. He was trying to figure out what to do when the door chimed. "Come in," he called.

Captain Picard walked in.

"Captain, how can I help you?"

"Actually, I wanted to see Beverly, see how she was feeling. The computer informed me that she was here. Is she better?"

"For the moment," he said.

Deanna stood up and said, "Here, take a seat. We were about to figure out how to get her more comfortable." Will carefully took her upper body and laid her on his lap as Deanna grabbed her legs and put them on the couch. She then walked over to the replicator. "Captain, would you like something?"

"No, thank you," he replied, seating down on the chaise.

"Hot chocolate," she said to the replicator and her drink appeared. When she turned to return to the couch with her drink Will was stroking Beverly's hair, rubbing her shoulders, taking her hand. It was as if he could not believe she was there. Deanna lifted Beverly's legs, sat down, and put her legs on her lap.

"It always amazes me how comfortable and natural you two are with each other."

"It comes from mutual understanding and friendship," said Deanna.

Will was still looking down at Beverly on his lap, touching her and occasionally picking up her hand and kissing it.

"Tell me, counselor," began Picard, "How long has your best friend been involved with my best friend?" in a joking manner. She gave a soft laugh and put her free hand on Will's shoulder.

"I don't think she's going to disappear," she told him. He gave her a big grin. "As I understand it, about an hour," she answered the captain.

"I see. Well, I wish you both the best of luck. I know you will treat her well."

"Thank you."

Dr. Crusher's communicator chirped, interrupting the conversation.

"Dr. Hall to Dr. Crusher"

Will tapped his communicator, "This is commander Riker…"

"Is something wrong with Bev?" he asked before Will could finish.

"No. She is sleeping right now."

"Oh, ok. That's good. I take it she's spoken to you about her condition?"

"Yes."

"Will you be involved?"

"Oh, yes."

"Good! Where is she right now?"

"In my quarters."

"Would you mind if I go check on her? Just to make sure everything is ok?"

"Sure."

"I'll be there soon. Dr. Hall out."

"What _is _Beverly's condition?" asked Picard.

Riker smiled and put his hand over her still flat stomach. "We're pregnant," he said proudly.

Picard had a puzzled look. "You've been together for about an hour, half of which she has slept through, and she is already pregnant?"

"It's a bit complicated. I think it would be best if she explained it to you."

"I see. In any case, congratulations. You seem to be happy about the news."

"I am, now."

"I know she must be ecstatic."

"Why is that?" asked Deanna.

"She has been wanting a baby for a couple of years now. Her yearning has increased since Wesley left for the Academy. She was planning on starting treatments in preparation for artificial insemination later this year."

"Really!?" exclaimed Deanna in surprise. "She never mentioned it to me."

"Who's DNA was she going to use?" asked Riker.

"Her husband's, Jack. When Wesley was two years old she told Jack she wanted another child. He wanted to wait longer but couldn't tell her how much longer. She felt that he was just saying that to stall but really didn't want to give her another child. He said that was not true. They had an argument and she told him he could die and leave her with only one child. Wanting to make her happy he had some of his DNA preserved as a promise to give her another child, just in case she was right. Unfortunately, she was."

The door chimed. "Come in," called Riker. The door opened and Dr. Hall came in. He didn't even acknowledge the captain, he walked straight to Beverly.

"Oh, sweetie, you must be feeling very tired," he told the sleeping body and he tucked her hair behind her ear. He sat on the floor and opened the medkit he had brought. He began scanning her with the tricorder.

"Has she been dizzy?"

"No, but she hasn't left the couch since she got here, over an hour ago."

"How long has she been asleep?" he asked as he studied the tricorder readings.

"I'm not sure when she dozed off. Maybe 20 minutes."

"Her blood pressure was a little high when I checked her in sick bay and I wanted to see if it had corrected itself. That's why she was dizzy and fainted. It hasn't improved but it hasn't gotten any higher, which is good."

"She's been sweating the whole time she's been on my lap," said Riker, wiping her damp forehead with his sleeve.

"Yes. That's because of her blood pressure. I will give her something to help lower it." He pressed a hypospray to her arm. "If she doesn't wake up in half an hour wake her and have her change out of the uniform. It's causing her to heat up and that doesn't help her blood pressure."

"Doctor, will she need to be exempt from wearing a uniform?" asked Picard.

"Not for now. I will try to control it with medication but it is a possibility. If it is needed I will submit to you the proper forms."

"How far along is she?" asked Deanna.

"I don't know the exact gestational age since I haven't given her a complete exam. Based on her human chorionic gonadotropin levels she's about 6 weeks along." He kissed her forehead and ran his fingers through her hair. "Will she be spending the night here?" he asked Will.

"I don't know. It's up to her."

"Let me know if she decides to go to her quarters or if she needs anything." He gave her another kiss. "Take care of my little girl, commander."

"I will," he said a little confused.

"And when he can't I will, Gerald. You have nothing to worry about," said Picard.

"I leave her in good hands." He got up and left.

"That was…_strange_," said Riker.

"What?" asked Deanna.

"He was very affectionate."

"Gerald is very fond of Beverly," said Picard.

"You've known how he treats her?" asked Deanna.

"Yes. She was very confused by it all in the beginning. But in all honesty, I think she likes it despite her protests. She has always enjoyed getting special attention."

"He called her his little girl," he said, still confused.

"That's one of his favourite nicknames for her. He said it was fitting since she can be very stubborn, though Beverly prefers to think of it as being adamant about her decisions."

The three of them laughed at the comment before Deanna spoke.

"He might be longing for a child. Though, it is a bit strange considering he is only a few years older than her. I just found out about this today and I am curious about the reason behind his behaviour. I sense very paternal feelings from him towards her."

"Very," said Picard. "And she responds to him in a very childish manner once they begin arguing. But I think it's a good thing. Beverly is a great doctor but she tends to neglect her own health as we saw today. It puts me at ease to know he is looking out for her health."

Beverly stirred a little and her stomach let out a loud rumble.

"Someone's hungry," added Picard.

"Now I feel bad," said Deanna. "She wanted to have ice cream at lunch and I told her she was eating too much."

"Yeah," came the sleepy voice. "Can I have my strawberry ice cream now?"

"Of course," answered Will and helped her sit up.

"Jean-Luc, what are you doing here?"

"Checking up on you. Congratulations!" he said, standing up. She stood up and they hugged.

"Thank you."

"Since Beverly is hungry," began Riker, standing up too and putting his arms around her so that his hands were over her stomach, "I think its dinner time. Would you like to join us?" he asked Picard, knowing that Deanna would automatically know she was invited but that he wouldn't.

"I'd love to."

"But I think we're missing some people. I'd like to celebrate, if you don't mind," he asked Beverly.

"Sure," she answered.

They contacted the rest of the senior staff and told them to join them for dinner. They were all happy get off duty early and have dinner with everyone since it was rare when they did. Will, Beverly, Deanna, and Jean-Luc left Riker's quarters and headed for Ten Forward. Their family bond was about to change, become stronger, they hoped.


End file.
